OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Collectors General Discussion Victa Fairlight 400 Electric Mower

We have a 1987 Victa Fairlight 400, used but looks to be in reasonable condition, as it seems to have mostly been stored in a garage. From the threads on this forum it seems to be a collectible item. We want to know how it might be able to be valued, and whether we should be looking at contributing it to a collection.

Hello Toja

A warm welcome to these forums.

There is scarce information on Victa electrics from this period.
I guess the Fairlight 400 is this machine:-



Valuation is problematic in that we do not see them come up
for auction very much. In other words, valuation is guesswork,
but they attract very little monetary value (based on prior sales).

You are welcome to place a post in the 'For Sale' section of this site,
but all negotiation must be done by private mail (PM). It may be that
a collector may be interested.

Given what you have said, this machine is a good representative sample
of this model. As such, I hope it is saved to history.

For information on uploading images click HERE.

Hope this helps.
-------------------------
Jack

Thanks Jack.

I'm no expert on mowers but having googled the name and landed on this forum (the only place on the net in Australia that has anything to say about them, as far as I could find) I see that someone else had posted some photos of their collection some time ago (2013 from memory) and there appear to be 2 victa electric fair light models. One is the green one the other, the Fairlight 400, is all white, which is the one we have. Also, from some old threads on this forum I believe there is one in the powerhouse museum, although which model it is I have no idea.
Here's a thread that has pictures of our model.
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=31511

We don't particularly want to sell it, we would be happy to donate it to a good home. We wanted an idea on its value, or more appropriately, it's rarity, because as you say if it is not common it would be worth preserving. If it happens to be a rarer model we'd rather see it go to a collector who would appreciate it.

Hopefully someone may read this post and be, or know of, a collector who may be interested.

Thanks

Hello Toja

As the Forum Historian, this is fantastic information.
The Fairlight having being named for its lighter colour is new information.

I feel we are on the cusp of understanding electric mower history.
I was the first to identify Australia's first rotaries as being ... electric!
The electric mower remains under-appreciated on these shores, and I feel
Victa introduced electrics with the European market in mind.

So ... to answer your questions ...
I am annoyed that rarity does not have a direct relationship to value.
The more important that these machines are saved. Your mower is rare.

The danger is in that collectors have not yet seen the importance of these
machines to vintage mower history. For whatever reason, collectors have
shunned electric-powered mowers as a valid lawnmower form.

So I hope a collector will come forward and preserve this mower.
I really appreciate you contacting this forum.

Hope this helps.
-------------------------
Jack

Thanks Jack

I'll hold onto it for the moment and hope to hear from someone interested. I found another link on this site where a collector has both the green-and-white and white models, among a number of petrol models.

https://www.outdoorking.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=50569

Hopefully we can dig up a second such collector. Meanwhile it can stay in the garage for as long as my wife can put up with it.

Cheers.